Coca-Cola kicks off social media Earth Day effort with Ocean Conservancy

Long time partners Coca-Cola North America and the Ocean Conservancy are conducting a social media campaign to support Earth Month. The push, launched April 14, features a Facebook app and cause donations from Coke's soft drink brands.

Coke is also running a print and online advertising campaign to complement the Facebook initiative, which is using the tagline “71% of the Earth's surface is ocean. Shouldn't 100% of it be clean?”

The ads ask consumers to support the a clean Earth by donating time, money or MyCokeRewards points to Ocean Conservancy.

The campaign prominently features a Facebook application that lets consumers “oceanize” their photos by turning an above-water shot into an underwater photo. The brands' goal is to raise awareness of the Ocean Conservancy's marine debris program, which works to keep oceans and rivers clean.

“The social media campaign is a fun extension of our long-standing partnership with Coca-Cola,” said Tom McCann, director of media affairs at Ocean Conservancy. “We are all trying to find solutions to environmental problems, and the Facebook app is a great way for people to get involved and connect with the ocean.”

Coca-Cola will donate $1 for every person who uses the app, up to a total of $200,000. It will also contribute up to $50,000 through the MyCokeRewards points program.

Coca-Cola has supported the Ocean Conservancy's International Coastal Cleanup (ICC) program since 1995. In 2008, Coca-Cola pledged $1 million to support the ICC.

Coke brands Dasani and Sprite are also running environmentally friendly marketing programs during April. The bottled water brand is encouraging consumers to virally share ways to shrink their carbon footprint through e-mail, Facebook or Twitter. Dasani will make a $1 donation, up to a total of $25,000, every time tips or recycling trivia are shared from its site.

The effort promotes Dasani's recyclable bottles, made from up-to-30% plant-based renewable materials. The brand launched the bottle after environmentalists began to criticize soft-drink makers for their carbon footprint production.

Sprite, meanwhile, has launched the Sprite Tabs for Habitat program, which encourages consumers to donate unique green tabs from 12-ounce single cans to help raise $500,000 for Habitat for Humanity.

A Coca-Cola representative could not be immediately reached for comment.